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Historically the Parish of Temple was divided into three portions, the ancient parish of Clerkington, and the Chapelries of Moorfoot and Balantrodach. Clerkington was a parsonage held by the Monks of Newbattle Abbey, Moorfoot was a chapelry founded by Monks from the same institution. Balantrodach on the other hand, was a Chapelry of the Knights Templar.

As Temple, being just to the South of the Firth of Forth, was an area of the country occupied by England at this time, Knights were prosecuted, but not all were found guilty.[4] Nearby to the North, politics was even more on their side -- Robert the Bruce had been excommunicated, and so was not required to follow papal commands [1], and at war with England, it has been suggested he may have been welcoming to powerful and desperate allies.[5]

Many Templar Knights may have assimilated within the Hospitallers. But it's not necessarily the case that the Templars everywhere, immediately ceased to be.[2] Indeed, North of the Firth, in Scotland the Order combined with the Hospitallers and continued as The Order of St John and the Temple until the reformation.[6]

"Legend has it that treasure of the Knights Templar was removed secretly from Paris, to be hidden in Temple. A local legend states: 'Twixt the oak and the elm tree/You will find buried the millions free.' Frenchlegends about the Templar treasure apparently also state that the treasure was taken to Scotland, with the knights landing on the Isle of May, the first island they would encounter in the Firth of Forth. Geographically, this would take them to the mouth of the river Esk, which could take them on to Rosslyn..."[4]